Choose a well-defined topic about which the students will write. This topic could be a list of vocabulary words that students have to learn, a story from history or even a math formula. It's a good idea to make the topic very specific, especially if your students are new to this. Used www.rhymezone to help with words.
Step 2: Teach the concept(s)
In order to write a good educational rhyme, students must first have a basic understanding of the content. Teach the content to make sure that everyone understands the terms and concepts.
Step 3: Model (optional)
You may want to provide your students with an example of a good educational rhyme that covers a similar topic. This can be one that you have written, or it can be a Flocabulary song. A model song not only gives a framework, but also helps students to feel more confident about what is expected of them.
Step 4: Write
When you're first starting out, you may choose to provide a first line to set up the information that you want to teach in the lesson. This is especially helpful for beginners because all they'll have to do is finish the couplet by writing a second line that rhymes with the first. The writing component of the lesson involves several sequential steps outlined in the lessons that follow. The writing can be done independently, in pairs or in small groups.
Step 5: Perform
One of the most rewarding aspects of this method is that students are given the opportunity to perform their work in front of classmates. For some students, getting a chance to rap in class is a way to contribute as they never have before. The performance element is when students really shine. Collaborative performance is also a great way to get students working together in a fun way. Explore our free beats here.
Step 6: Analyze
Studies have shown that students learn a great deal when their own work is analyzed and used as a model to teach. After your students write and perform their rhymes, it's a good idea to use them as texts to teach about voice, figurative language, character, etc.
Before we get into writing rhymes in specific subject areas, we'd like to get you familiar with the most basic concepts behind the craft. The most effective way to memorize something within a rhyme is to put that piece of information in the rhyming position of a two-line rhyme (a couplet). The piece of information could be anything: a vocabulary word, a key term from science, a math formula. Here's an example for a tricky date: The worksheet uses the example of memorizing that the Boston Tea Party took place in 1773. Follow these steps and the examples on the sheet to help students memorize any fact.
Step 1. Set up the formula.
Step 2. Write the first line.
Step 3. Identify rhyming words.
Step 4. Complete the rhyme.
Step 5. Share or perform the rhyme.
The Basics of Hip-Hop Songwriting
All of the lessons presented in Writing Academic Rhymes can be completed with or without music. If you decide to have a culminating performance, you should probably give your students a sense of how to choose a beat and structure a complete song. This kind of assignment may work best as an extra-credit assignment.
Step 1: Find a beat
Most of the time, you should have your students write over a particular beat from beginning to end. If they write without a beat, it's going to take a lot more work to try to get their lyrics to fit with the music once that element is added. So have them pick a beat first. You can find over 50 original beats here. Note: To keep things simple, you can play one beat in class and have all of your students write over it. If you have the time, however, it is generally better to have each student choose their own beat that reflects their mood and style.
Step 2: Add hooks and verses
Nearly every rap song consists of three basic parts: intros, hooks (choruses) and verses. Occasionally, you'll see some other elements, but usually rappers stick to these three.
Most songs begin with some instrumental bars, which are typically followed by a verse, although some do start with a hook. Very few songs begin with rapping. Usually the beat plays for 4 or 8 bars before the rapper comes in.
After the intro, most songs contain two to four verses of 16 to 32 bars each. The verse is the largest section of a song and usually contains the bulk of the information. When instructing your students, have them sketch out the song by dividing the academic content into verses that make sense. Verses are often of equal length, such as 16 bars each. However, they can also have different lengths.
After the first verse comes the hook, which is the most memorable (and often most important) part of many hip-hop songs. There are basically two types of hooks: rapped or sung. Many hooks incorporate both of these techniques. All kinds of rappers write the rapped hooks, while pop-type rappers favor the sung hooks. As your students are writing their hooks, know that they have these options.
It's important to have the hook accomplish two things. First, it must be fun to listen to, because it's the part that listeners are going to hear the most. This, I'm sure, is what The Sugarhill Gang was thinking about with this hook on "Rapper's Delight":
I said a hip-hop, the hippie the hippie,
To the hip hip-hop, uh you don't stop the rockin',
To the bang bang, say up jumped the boogie,
To rhythm of the boogie the beat.
That hook doesn't make any sense, but it is fun and oddly catchy. The second thing most hooks should do is advance the main idea of the song. Often, the best hooks do this without being obvious. Take this example from Jay-Z on a track where he basically just brags:
Can't touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable
Shake the unshakeable (it's Hovi baby)
Can't see the unseeable, reach the unreachable,
Do the impossible (it's Hovi baby)
He doesn't use the hook to come out and just say, "I am awesome," but that is the message. Since your students are writing an academic song, they'll want to think of a hook that can complement the subject. Students should always come back to the hook once they've written the whole song to see if they can improve it. Hooks are extremely important.
Step 3: Write the song
In some cases, it's a good idea to have students sketch out their songs, but if they have a good sense of the information they want to include, they can probably start writing and see where it takes them. The best advice at this stage is just to keep the students writing and rewriting until they have something that they're ready to share with others.
Elevating Rhymes with Figurative Language
Few elements of writing separate great writers from average writers as clearly as the intelligent use of metaphors and similes. A well-placed simile can get a reader smiling faster than a politician on debate night. Ironically, most students, especially those who listen to hip-hop, are very familiar with how metaphors and similes sound in a song but struggle to understand the idea of figurative language in the classroom.
In our experience, very few students will instinctively use a metaphor or simile in the basic vocabulary lesson mentioned above. If one does-terrific! Use that students work to introduce the concept. If not, this lesson plan should help.
Step 1: Teach the concept
Metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them; a creative comparison
Simile a metaphor-like comparison that uses the word like or as
Step 2: Model each type of figurative language
Great rap lyrics are built upon metaphors and similes. Rappers use similes to bring their rhymes to life, and they are usually the phrases that stay with you long after you hear an amazing verse. A good simile can transform an average piece of writing into one that's exceptional.
There are plenty of examples from popular rap lyrics. You could even ask students to find their favorites as an assignment. Here are two examples:
Simile:
I'm full strength like a Cyclops's eye drops,
I got support like high-tops.
- Ugly Duckling, Left Behind.
In these two lines, Ugly Duckling rapper Dizzy Dustin combines two creative similes with a mythological allusion. His use of figurative language brings these lines to life. How powerful is he? About as strong as Visine would have to be for a giant one-eyed monster. How much love does he gets from fans? More support than ankle-covering basketball shoes. As Dizzy Dustin knows, great similes create vivid mental images.
Metaphor:
Im cooler than a polar bears toenails.
- Big Boi, Atliens
In this last case, Big Boi (from the group Outkast) could have just said, I'm cool, and that would have been fine. After all, hes a famous rapper. He also could have just said, I'm cooler than a polar bear, and that would have been a great metaphor. But Big Boi, being a talented lyricist, took his writing to the next level and came up with a metaphor that helps us imagine the coldest extremity of that cold-weather animal. That's powerful writing.
Practice using figurative language
Have students complete the following independently or break into teams and make lists for each:
Similes: I'm as sharp as a(n) _
I keep it fresh like _
Metaphors: Life is a(n) _
School is a(n) _
The great thing about these exercises is that there are no wrong answers. If a student can back up why she said that life is a hair dryer, then that's a correct answer.
Step 4: Write
Using the worksheet Flocab Formula for Figurative Language Rhymes, students can create their own rhymes. See the worksheet here.
Step 5: Expand to other figurative language
On our blog, we've got examples of other types of figurative language found in rap music, from alliteration to zeugma.
Raps are talk songs. They are not sung; they are spoken. They have a very heavy beat and a lot of rhyme. Behind the speaker of a rap, there might be original music, “scratching” sounds, and parts of other peoples’ songs.
To write your own rap, begin with your topic. You have to know enough about your topic to rap about it. I usually make it school, friends or family and always MUST be in a positive sense. Once you learn all about your topic you’re ready to rap.
Tell the whole story of your ballot topic in rhyme. Most raps rhyme in ‘couplets.” That means lines rhyme two at a time. Lines one and two rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. And so on. The two lines that rhyme together are a “Couplet.”
Begin your lyrics with a line that has a strong beat or rhythm. Rhyme the next line with the first. Try to repeat the same rhythm in the second line, too. Then begin a new rhyme with the third line. The fourth line should rhyme with the third line. Keep repeating this rhyming pattern.
The beat can be different in different lines. Some lines can be short; others, long. You might want to have a “refrain” in your lyrics. A refrain is a group of lines that remain the same and are repeated throughout the song.
A Rhyming Alphabet:
Use this special phonetic alphabet to help you find more rhymes. Begin your word with each of the following letters and consonant blends; make a list of all the “words” that make sense.
Class Rap
Objectives: Students will become familiar with many of the components of rap music. They will exercise their listening skills in order to pick out features of rap music. They will be able to compose their own rap based on rap music that they are exposed to.
Materials: several rap songs epitomizing the style of rap, chalkboard or dry erase board, something to write with
Class Rap
Procedure:
Activate students' prior knowledge about rap music. Have them give some examples of music they have heard. See if they can already describe any features of rap music.
Play a few different pieces of rap, and have the students generate a list of common features. Talk about these features and discuss the concept of generalizing – that the pieces they are hearing are typical but not exclusive.
Come up with a topic, underneath the general theme that you are working on in your class, for your students to compose a rap about. Or let the students, in groups, come up with their own topics. In their groups, the students will need to do some brainstorming to decide on some key ideas, words, etc. that they want their rap to include.
They will then create their rap, both the words and the beat (You may want to do this activity along with a musical instrument making activity so the students can really play their tune).
The group will sing their rap together to the class. Each group can teach the class their rap throughout the week or unit.
Compose a Rap Big Book with all of the different lyrics included and the song- writers. Add to it as the year progresses.
Closure: See how the class felt about the task. Was it difficult? Easy? Fun? What were some of the reasons that made it that way? What could we have done differently to make it more/less challenging? Is rap music easy or difficult to distinguish from other types of music? What makes it so unique? Have them write about all of these things.
Evaluation: Were the students able to add to the discussion? Were they able to hear the similarities in the different pieces of rap and make generalizations about the music as a whole? Did they enjoy the assignment? How did they reflect on the experience?
2014 Term 1
Basic Writing Academic Rhymes Lesson Plan
Step 1: Choose a topic
Choose a well-defined topic about which the students will write. This topic could be a list of vocabulary words that students have to learn, a story from history or even a math formula. It's a good idea to make the topic very specific, especially if your students are new to this. Used www.rhymezone to help with words.Step 2: Teach the concept(s)
In order to write a good educational rhyme, students must first have a basic understanding of the content. Teach the content to make sure that everyone understands the terms and concepts.Step 3: Model (optional)
You may want to provide your students with an example of a good educational rhyme that covers a similar topic. This can be one that you have written, or it can be a Flocabulary song. A model song not only gives a framework, but also helps students to feel more confident about what is expected of them.Step 4: Write
When you're first starting out, you may choose to provide a first line to set up the information that you want to teach in the lesson. This is especially helpful for beginners because all they'll have to do is finish the couplet by writing a second line that rhymes with the first. The writing component of the lesson involves several sequential steps outlined in the lessons that follow. The writing can be done independently, in pairs or in small groups.Step 5: Perform
One of the most rewarding aspects of this method is that students are given the opportunity to perform their work in front of classmates. For some students, getting a chance to rap in class is a way to contribute as they never have before. The performance element is when students really shine. Collaborative performance is also a great way to get students working together in a fun way. Explore our free beats here.Step 6: Analyze
Studies have shown that students learn a great deal when their own work is analyzed and used as a model to teach. After your students write and perform their rhymes, it's a good idea to use them as texts to teach about voice, figurative language, character, etc.Before we get into writing rhymes in specific subject areas, we'd like to get you familiar with the most basic concepts behind the craft. The most effective way to memorize something within a rhyme is to put that piece of information in the rhyming position of a two-line rhyme (a couplet). The piece of information could be anything: a vocabulary word, a key term from science, a math formula. Here's an example for a tricky date:
The worksheet uses the example of memorizing that the Boston Tea Party took place in 1773. Follow these steps and the examples on the sheet to help students memorize any fact.
The Basics of Hip-Hop Songwriting
All of the lessons presented in Writing Academic Rhymes can be completed with or without music. If you decide to have a culminating performance, you should probably give your students a sense of how to choose a beat and structure a complete song. This kind of assignment may work best as an extra-credit assignment.
Step 1: Find a beat
Most of the time, you should have your students write over a particular beat from beginning to end. If they write without a beat, it's going to take a lot more work to try to get their lyrics to fit with the music once that element is added. So have them pick a beat first. You can find over 50 original beats here.Note: To keep things simple, you can play one beat in class and have all of your students write over it. If you have the time, however, it is generally better to have each student choose their own beat that reflects their mood and style.
Step 2: Add hooks and verses
Nearly every rap song consists of three basic parts: intros, hooks (choruses) and verses. Occasionally, you'll see some other elements, but usually rappers stick to these three.Most songs begin with some instrumental bars, which are typically followed by a verse, although some do start with a hook. Very few songs begin with rapping. Usually the beat plays for 4 or 8 bars before the rapper comes in.
After the intro, most songs contain two to four verses of 16 to 32 bars each. The verse is the largest section of a song and usually contains the bulk of the information. When instructing your students, have them sketch out the song by dividing the academic content into verses that make sense. Verses are often of equal length, such as 16 bars each. However, they can also have different lengths.
After the first verse comes the hook, which is the most memorable (and often most important) part of many hip-hop songs. There are basically two types of hooks: rapped or sung. Many hooks incorporate both of these techniques. All kinds of rappers write the rapped hooks, while pop-type rappers favor the sung hooks. As your students are writing their hooks, know that they have these options.
It's important to have the hook accomplish two things. First, it must be fun to listen to, because it's the part that listeners are going to hear the most. This, I'm sure, is what The Sugarhill Gang was thinking about with this hook on "Rapper's Delight":
- To rhythm of the boogie the beat.
That hook doesn't make any sense, but it is fun and oddly catchy. The second thing most hooks should do is advance the main idea of the song. Often, the best hooks do this without being obvious. Take this example from Jay-Z on a track where he basically just brags:- Do the impossible (it's Hovi baby)
He doesn't use the hook to come out and just say, "I am awesome," but that is the message. Since your students are writing an academic song, they'll want to think of a hook that can complement the subject. Students should always come back to the hook once they've written the whole song to see if they can improve it. Hooks are extremely important.Step 3: Write the song
In some cases, it's a good idea to have students sketch out their songs, but if they have a good sense of the information they want to include, they can probably start writing and see where it takes them. The best advice at this stage is just to keep the students writing and rewriting until they have something that they're ready to share with others.Elevating Rhymes with Figurative Language
Few elements of writing separate great writers from average writers as clearly as the intelligent use of metaphors and similes. A well-placed simile can get a reader smiling faster than a politician on debate night. Ironically, most students, especially those who listen to hip-hop, are very familiar with how metaphors and similes sound in a song but struggle to understand the idea of figurative language in the classroom.In our experience, very few students will instinctively use a metaphor or simile in the basic vocabulary lesson mentioned above. If one does-terrific! Use that students work to introduce the concept. If not, this lesson plan should help.
Step 1: Teach the concept
Step 2: Model each type of figurative language
Great rap lyrics are built upon metaphors and similes. Rappers use similes to bring their rhymes to life, and they are usually the phrases that stay with you long after you hear an amazing verse. A good simile can transform an average piece of writing into one that's exceptional.There are plenty of examples from popular rap lyrics. You could even ask students to find their favorites as an assignment. Here are two examples:
- - Ugly Duckling, Left Behind.
In these two lines, Ugly Duckling rapper Dizzy Dustin combines two creative similes with a mythological allusion. His use of figurative language brings these lines to life. How powerful is he? About as strong as Visine would have to be for a giant one-eyed monster. How much love does he gets from fans? More support than ankle-covering basketball shoes. As Dizzy Dustin knows, great similes create vivid mental images.- - Big Boi, Atliens
In this last case, Big Boi (from the group Outkast) could have just said, I'm cool, and that would have been fine. After all, hes a famous rapper. He also could have just said, I'm cooler than a polar bear, and that would have been a great metaphor. But Big Boi, being a talented lyricist, took his writing to the next level and came up with a metaphor that helps us imagine the coldest extremity of that cold-weather animal. That's powerful writing.Practice using figurative language
Have students complete the following independently or break into teams and make lists for each:
- School is a(n) _
The great thing about these exercises is that there are no wrong answers. If a student can back up why she said that life is a hair dryer, then that's a correct answer.Step 4: Write
Using the worksheet Flocab Formula for Figurative Language Rhymes, students can create their own rhymes. See the worksheet here.Step 5: Expand to other figurative language
On our blog, we've got examples of other types of figurative language found in rap music, from alliteration to zeugma.http://www.flocabulary.com/warp-beats/
http://chasemarch.com/2013/03/a-lesson-plan-on-structure-of-rap-songs.html
Raps are talk songs. They are not sung; they are spoken. They have a very heavy beat and a lot of rhyme. Behind the speaker of a rap, there might be original music, “scratching” sounds, and parts of other peoples’ songs.
To write your own rap, begin with your topic. You have to know enough about your topic to rap about it. I usually make it school, friends or family and always MUST be in a positive sense. Once you learn all about your topic you’re ready to rap.
Tell the whole story of your ballot topic in rhyme. Most raps rhyme in ‘couplets.” That means lines rhyme two at a time. Lines one and two rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. And so on. The two lines that rhyme together are a “Couplet.”
Begin your lyrics with a line that has a strong beat or rhythm. Rhyme the next line with the first. Try to repeat the same rhythm in the second line, too. Then begin a new rhyme with the third line. The fourth line should rhyme with the third line. Keep repeating this rhyming pattern.
The beat can be different in different lines. Some lines can be short; others, long. You might want to have a “refrain” in your lyrics. A refrain is a group of lines that remain the same and are repeated throughout the song.
A Rhyming Alphabet:
Use this special phonetic alphabet to help you find more rhymes. Begin your word with each of the following letters and consonant blends; make a list of all the “words” that make sense.
Class Rap
Objectives: Students will become familiar with many of the components of rap music. They will exercise their listening skills in order to pick out features of rap music. They will be able to compose their own rap based on rap music that they are exposed to.
Materials: several rap songs epitomizing the style of rap, chalkboard or dry erase board, something to write with
Procedure:
Closure: See how the class felt about the task. Was it difficult? Easy? Fun? What were some of the reasons that made it that way? What could we have done differently to make it more/less challenging? Is rap music easy or difficult to distinguish from other types of music? What makes it so unique? Have them write about all of these things.
Evaluation: Were the students able to add to the discussion? Were they able to hear the similarities in the different pieces of rap and make generalizations about the music as a whole? Did they enjoy the assignment? How did they reflect on the experience?
http://teachmehowtorap.com/